1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus and processes for removing and severing casted material, and in particular relates to such apparatus and processes which are designed to remove molded casts from human appendages, such as arms and legs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Molded casts of a plaster-like material are commonly used to set broken human limbs (i.e. arms and legs) in a position which permits the bone structure to heal. After the healing process is completed, it is of course necessary to remove the casted material from the human appendage. To this end, numerous hand tools have been devised for permitting the casted material to be cut away from the arm or leg, but such tool arrangements provide an unnecessary risk of injury to the patient.
There have also been suggestions in the prior art to provide an embedded strand in the casted material adjacent the inner surface of the casted wall, and further including means for withdrawing the strand through the casted material to sever the wall of the cast to thereby facilitate removal. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,967,888 to Kearsley, which discloses a simple dual rollar arrangement employing such an embedded strand which is wound about the dual rollers to permit severing the cast. A similar arrangement is taught in U. S. Pat. No. 3,867,931 to Babka.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,085,969, Cook et al discloses a separable plaster cast employing a conventional zipper arrangement for purposes of removing the cast.
Of particular interest, Saylors in U.S. Pat. No. 2,746,452, discloses a machine having a guide roller for permitting the strand to be drawn substantially directly upward to the cast material to sever the cast wall for removal. The apparatus disclosed by Saylors includes a hand crank and a guide roller, the guide roller making the only contact with the casted wall.
Other prior art of interest includes U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,941 to Driver, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,342,695 to Rinaldy.